A national living treasure, a rock musician and an activist poet
Pristine de Leon remembers the artists and cultural workers from the Philippines we lost in 2022.
Philippines
Criticism and Tears: The Emotional is Political in the Marcos State
When a film taps on emotions to distort historical facts, criticism that uses a rational, adversarial voice, above the work and the audiences who enjoy it may fail to dislodge the emotive power of the work’s narrative. Pristine De Leon looks for a path forward as a critic in this tricky landscape in her review of Maid in Malacañang’, a fictionalised retelling of the last days of the first Marcos presidency.
Archiving as Activism in the Wake of a Jeopardized Election
MC Redioca discusses the significance of archiving as a form of activism during the recent elections in Philippines on May 9th. This article is published as part of the inaugural AE x Goethe-Institut Critical Writing Micro-Residency 2021/2022.
A Gap in the Telling: Review of Virgin Labfest 17
While acknowledging the value of art in addressing national trauma, Pristine de Leon raises questions about the limits, and ethics of representation on stage.
Pandemic in the Philippines: A cultural sector on its own
By Katrina Stuart Santiago (2,200 words, 8-minute read) When I was first asked to write about “cultural leadership” in the Philippines, I turned up a blank. This is not because we lack cultural institutions that get public funding—we in fact, have enough of those. Neither is it because there are no organisations, nor that there …
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Weekly Southeast Asia Radar: Hallyu love and cementing disaster
ArtsEquator’s Southeast Asia Radar features articles and posts about arts and culture in Southeast Asia, drawn from local and regional websites and publications – aggregated content from outside sources – so we are exposed to a multitude of voices in the region. In the weekly Southeast Asia Radar, we publish a round-up of content that …
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Eisa Jocson: “Macho Dancer” and “Corponomy”
One of the highlights of da:ns festival this year is a double bill by Eisa Jocson, Macho Dancer and Corponomy. While Corponomy is a new commission by the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay for da:ns festival 2017, Macho Dancer is a critically acclaimed piece that has travelled extensively to major international festivals. Philippines-based curator and writer, Eva McGovern-Basa, recently managed and edited an interview …
Dancing Unashamed: ¡Walang Hiya!
By Chan Sze-Wei (945 words, 9-minute read) “There are so many taboos and judgements around our bodies and the politics they carry. Let’s take the leap to talk and dance about tough questions. Let’s be unashamed. Walang hiya.” Over two weeks this February in Manila and Singapore, a group of dancers came together to look …